Delhi: Raj Niwas officials and AAP govt spar on 'odd-even' scheme

New Delhi, Nov 7 (PTI) The 'odd-even' car rationing scheme will be implemented from November 13, the Delhi government said on Tuesday, hours after Raj Niwas officials alleged that the GRAP stage-IV implementation file sent to the lieutenant governor stated that no decision had been taken on the scheme.

Responding to a Raj Niwas official's accusation that the city government was misleading the courts and people over the vehicle rationing system, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said the decision to implement the 'odd-even' scheme was taken on November 6 but the file the official was talking about was actually sent for LG VK Saxena's approval on November 4.

Rai also alleged that Raj Niwas officers were "misleading" Saxena, and added that the file on the 'odd-even' scheme will be sent to the LG by the transport department.

Earlier in the day, the minister said the Delhi government would take into account the Supreme Court's directives on pollution while finalising the 'odd-even' scheme.

The government later asserted that the scheme was not on hold. "It will start on November 13 as announced since there is no bar from the SC in today's order," it said.

The 'odd-even' car rationing scheme came under scrutiny by the Supreme Court on Tuesday which questioned its effectiveness and termed it "all optics".

Accusing the AAP government of misleading people and the courts, the Raj Niwas official said, "The much publicised 'odd-even' scheme to fight air pollution post-Diwali, that was announced by the AAP government yesterday, is nothing but an attempt to mislead people and courts to divert attention from the ongoing severe crisis in the capital caused by air pollution." "The file to this effect clearly shows that the decision to implement the 'odd-even' scheme as a part of measures under GRAP-IV was not approved by Minister Gopal Rai. Subsequently, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's office conveyed his approval to defer a decision on the 'odd-even' plying of vehicles as proposed by Gopal Rai since the CM was out of town," he added.

The file sent to the LG proposed physical classes be discontinued for all up to Class 11 and lessons be conducted online, public, municipal and private offices work at 50 per cent strength, closure of all colleges, educational institutions and non-emergency commercial activities, and vehicles to run on 'odd-even' registration number basis, the Raj Niwas official said.

"Gopal Rai and the chief minister approved all proposals except that about 'odd-even' plying of vehicles, where they wanted a decision on the implementation to be taken after advice from experts. The file was subsequently sent to the LG Secretariat for the LG''s approval. The LG Secretariat has flagged this deliberate misrepresentation in its nothings to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO)," he said.

In a note to the CMO, the LG Secretariat said the file was sent to them on November 4, "even as public announcements regarding the order for implementation of actions under Stage-IV of GRAP had already been made in the media, and the order was issued on November 5 itself", the official added.

"In light of this, announcements to this effect in the media amounts to misleading the people as also the honourable courts, who are closely monitoring the situation arising out of severe air pollution in the city," he said.

Responding to the charge, Rai said, "The file, on the basis of which he is citing that the 'odd-even' proposal has come from the government, is dated November 4. On the basis of this, on the evening of November 5, the CAQM decided to implement GRAP IV. The next day, on November 6, CM Arvind Kejriwal called a meeting at the Delhi Secretariat regarding air pollution. In that meeting, it was decided that 'odd-even' would be implemented in Delhi." Following the meeting, it was announced that the 'odd-even' scheme would be implemented in Delhi from November 13 to November 20, Rai said in a statement.

"The decision to implement 'odd-even' was taken on 6th November. In such a situation, how can the 'odd-even' be written in the file of November 4? Now the process of sending its file is going on. 'Odd-even' is implemented under the Motor Vehicles Act. The transport department is working on this," he added. PTI